The Exchange
by Saikou-Sama
Summary: He went from a gentle painter to a tragic, maniacal genius. What happened between losing his love and losing his mind? Once upon a time, there was a chance meeting of two men and they made a deal...(Hint: It involves drinking and bar fights. You have been warned. Crossover).
1. Offer and Mutual Agreement

The smoke that filled the run down bar made most of the patrons nothing more than hazy outlines. His band's music made the shadows sway slightly in time to the beat, which was only interrupted occasionally with the sound of breaking glass or shouted obscenities. The room was almost too small for the stage, and the low ceiling made it seem even smaller. The set ended, and he waved to the audience before putting away his guitar and hopping offstage to grab a beer; they came out of the pay for the night, but he ran his band with an iron fist and kept them from putting him in debt (though it was a cheap brand, anyway).  
He sighed as his bottle was slid down the counter to him.  
He knew that he could go far as lead guitarist, yet he felt that he was called to bigger things. But ambition didn't amount to much. He took a swig of his draft. It wasn't as cold as he liked it and he frowned at it. It was then that he noticed something out of the corner of his eye, and he sighed.  
Sitting by himself, and nursing what looked to be his fourth bottle, sat a man who was trying his best to look like he belonged. His clothes might be the same jeans and leather, but they were just a little too new looking; just a little too top of the line. The sons of the rich came in, trying to rebel against their family's money, or choice of friends, or college or political affiliation. Sometimes they just sat in the back and drank and left; but more often they drank enough to let go of common sense and started trouble. They all had a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. They were self-entitled children and Giovanni hated dealing with them.

He finished his beer and wiped his mouth on his arm. He strode over to the stranger, shaking out his hair as he did so. He cocked his head to one side. "Enjoying your evening?"  
The man looked at him with only slightly unfocused eyes. "Anyone ever tell you your hair is too long?"  
It came all the way down his back and, after himself, was what his female fans worshipped most.  
"No one who _matters _ever has," he replied. "Do you plan on leaving soon, or are you going now?"  
The other man, too thin for his tough-guy outfit, took another slow drink from his glass of beer. Another sign of being an outsider; he was the only one drinking beer from a glass in the room.  
"I was _planning _on staying longer, in spite of the music," he responded lazily.  
Giovanni decided to take care of this problem before it became worse; if he insulted the music some of the band's fans could get rough quickly. And if it wasn't the music it would be something else. Something in the man's eyes said that they just wanted to cause trouble.  
This is why he hated rich kids.  
Giovanni gave a quick jerk of his head to the man to follow him and started toward the door. As he suspected, the other man followed him with an almost excited expression of anticipation.  
Once outside, Giovanni pulled on leather gloves on and said, "I'm giving you one warning: Leave now."  
The other man puffed up. "If you think you can intimidate—"  
The leather gloves were there to protect his hands; he had punched a man in the mouth before without them when he was just starting out and couldn't play for weeks. The wound had gotten infected and caused him no amount of pain.  
Even with the gloves, he didn't aim for the mouth anymore. He always hit the nose first; and though this time he was denied the particularly refreshing crack of a bone breaking, it succeeded in its primary objective of bleeding immediately and profusely.  
The other man screamed in pain and cupped both of his hands around his nose in agony, and was then promptly punched several times in the gut. He fell to the ground, where he was kicked until he stopped moving.

Giovanni slowly took off his gloves while looming over the man and walked back into the bar. He hadn't even bothered to take the man out to the back, instead humiliating him in view of the front window. Not that he was worried. The bar's owner allowed Giovanni certain privileges, one of those being to take down trouble-makers. Though the men Giovanni usually targeted were (soon-to-be-ex) boyfriends of the girl he was sleeping with that night, he prevented enough actual troublemakers from causing fights that his actions were looked upon with a certain fondness by the less drunk patrons.  
He stepped back onto the stage and he could feel the energy from the fight, short as it was, rush through him. His playing took on a whole new level and the crowd also entered into his high. They screamed and danced louder and harder than they had all the night earlier, and they followed him wherever he went in his playing. It was this thrill that made him feel whole; this feeling of power over people. It was then that he could forget everything else and relish his control.  
And when he stopped that night, he had his pick of women panting to be with him. Maybe it was from his earlier display, but he had no trouble with boyfriends this time.  
Leaving the building, he could see that the man had recovered enough to prop himself up by the front wall of the bar, clutching his sides and breathing heavily through his mouth; dried blood everywhere.  
Giovanni walked by him with the girls of that night (he had found he just couldn't choose between them today), and pointedly ignored him as he walked by. All in all, it was a good night.

He was back in the bar, in the same place, two days later. His face was a mess with two black eyes and a swollen nose. He wasn't looking anyone else in the eyes, though, so Giovanni decided to leave him alone for now. If he had to, he would beat someone down as many times as need be, but he didn't do it without provocation.  
When he got to the counter, he found a beer already waiting for him, an expensive brand that wasn't included on his tab.  
"What is this? Give me my usual."  
The bartender shook his head. "I can't, Gio. That guy in the back?" he pointed to the skinny man and the man waved at them brightly. "He told me all your drinks were on him tonight and to give you only the best."  
Giovanni growled. He didn't trust this situation one bit. He quickly went back to the stage where he instead drank from a bottle of water he had brought. It was warm and it wasn't beer, but that guy didn't buy it for him.  
His escape wasn't to be that easy, however.  
Not even an hour later he was _sent _a beer. It had happened before occasionally, from a fan or from a woman, but he knew that this one was from that man. But to refuse to drink it would make him seem ungrateful to the fans watching, so he chugged it so as not to enjoy it. Giovanni just made sure to glare at the man in the corner during the rest of the set. The man took it all without flinching and left before they were done for the night.

He wasn't there the next night, and Giovanni was relieved that his strange revenge was over so quickly.  
But once again, the expensive bottle was waiting for him when he walked over during break.  
"Don't play with me," he growled to the barkeep.  
He shook his head. "Orders from the boss. It seems that weirdo came to the boss and paid in advance for you, since you wouldn't order for yourself."  
"How much?"  
"The boss wouldn't tell me, but I was told you could order any amount of anything this week."  
Giovanni said nothing and grabbed the beer roughly from the counter.  
The anger that was growing inside him from _owing _this man was a rage that he had never felt before. It was different from the energy he used to fight for women; it went beyond mere insult. He had never seriously considered killing a man before this, but this man seemed intent on being the first.

He had to endure a week of this humiliation before the man showed up again, still sporting black eyes. This gave Giovanni some consolation.  
Some.  
He went up to him when he was on break, but was interrupted before he could speak.  
"We'll talk when your band is done playing."  
Giovanni prepared to drag the man outside by his still too-nice leather jacket when,  
"If you want me to stop paying for you, I'd listen."  
Giovanni stiffly walked back to his band and got through the rest of the night, keeping an eye on the man with a mixture of rage and apprehension. He barely had time to curtly tell one of his band-mates to take care of his guitar for him and tell his female fans, "Not right now" before he saw Richie Rich heading towards the exit. He followed after, irritated that he wasn't doing the leading. They got outside and the man suddenly turned on him and said, "First you do me a favor, and then we'll talk."  
Giovanni grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him close.  
"How about you stop paying for me and I won't break you again?"  
The other man put up his hands in front of his face in an "I give up" kind of gesture.  
"As much as I'm sure you'd love to do that, and are capable of doing it, there's something in it for you."  
"Like what?"  
"After the favor, dear sir, after."  
Giovanni growled and let him go, and the other man smoothed out the wrinkles in the coat, restoring it to its abnormal pristine condition. "Follow me," he said, as he made his way into an alley. They walked down a narrow passage that widened into a dead-end between two apartment buildings. Two large men were already there. They leered at the sight of Rich-Kid.  
"Didn't think ya'd show up, Prissy-boy. Ready to back up your tough talk?"  
Richie looked at them with pity. "I wouldn't dream of touching _you_. My bodyguard here will play instead."  
He made a sign, and Giovanni understood that this was the "favor" that had been mentioned.  
He sighed and removed his vest; it was one he liked and didn't want it to get blood on it.  
Both men were bigger than him, but didn't seem to be carrying any weapons. He didn't feel any remorse in beginning to beat up two men he didn't know or even have a reason to fight. It was more of an annoyance against this fat cat who had somehow talked him into taking orders. Giovanni decided to use this chance to vent his frustration on the two men, unfair as it might have been to them.

Giovanni might have been in trouble if the two men had been together and were working as a team, but as it was they were just two guys the other man had insulted. So when Giovanni rushed the closest guy, the other didn't jump in right away to help. He had started out with the old tried'n'true nose punch first, and this time he was sure he had broken it. This bought him some extra time. He quickly dropped down and swept the other man off his feet and onto his back, where he started beating his head into the ground. The man tried to push Giovanni off, but his arms were pinned. It was at this point that the other man decided to step in, body-checking Giovanni from behind and rushing after him as he skidded along the ground. He got in a few good kicks before Giovanni rolled over and grabbed the inside of his leg, pulling him forward and down and the man crashed nearly on top of him. Giovanni grabbed his foot in a figure four and, placing on knee on the other man's knee, used the man's own ankle as torque to break his knee by twisting his leg. Screaming in pain, the man grabbed his knee and writhed in pain. Standing back up, Giovanni saw that the first man had already run away. He ran his hand through his long hair and strode over to the rich boy, putting his vest back on as he did so.  
"Ready to talk?"  
The other man winced. "Maybe in a quieter—and more private- location?"  
Giovanni had already tuned out the screaming man, but it seemed money-bags couldn't. A private place would be a problem, though, as the bar was anything but, and the back room that was used as the band's break room would be filled with part of the band making out in it. He groaned internally.  
"Follow me," he said. He led him back to his own apartment.

It wasn't on the bad side of town; it wasn't on the good side. It was close enough to downtown so that Giovanni could walk to most gigs if need be, and the inside was cleaner than expected of a rocker. Giovanni himself was a man who preferred order (his order) over disarray; and also there was nothing that turned a woman off faster, he had found, was walking into an apartment that _looked _like it belonged to a junkie.  
Giovanni motioned the other guy to take a seat somewhere in the general seating area, and the man took the nicest looking one. He wasn't surprised.  
Giovanni took the second best chair, sitting across the coffee table and staring at him intently. He wasn't going to be the first to break down and cooperate.  
The other man seemed to tire quickly of this game, which Giovanni would have usually taken as a sign of winning but the other didn't seem annoyed. He seemed to be…looking down on him. Giovanni could feel his rage begin to return.  
"What. Do. You. Want." He spat out, before he beat him up again.  
He seemed to think before answering, to hesitate. It was just too much for Giovanni.  
"Tell me what you want or I swear you'll be worse off than the last time I was through with you!"  
"I have a dream," he said. "And I need your help to achieve it."  
Giovanni had to laugh. At him, of course. At the whole idea.  
At the line itself.  
"Me? Some punk rocker is needed by Mr. Money here? Don't think you'll get me to do your dirty work for you again. Next time, you're on your own."  
The other man shook his head. "Don't you see? I could never do that. That's the point. I _do _have money, and I could hire a bodyguard and pay him handsomely. But there are some matters that are…personal. And you, you know how to intimidate. We're nearly of the same stature, but however you carry yourself; however you think…I can't do that. I wasn't raised to do that." He spread out his palms, displaying his soft upbringing. "All I wanted to be was an artist, but circumstances have…" his voice trailed off, lost in a sadness that Giovanni could tell was still quite recent. "Money can buy power; money can inspire respect; money can create fear. But when I'm one-on-one, I want that _strength, _that presence that you have. So I can rely on myself. Do you see?"  
Giovanni thought it was pointless. "You're wasting my time. You're wasting your time. Get out."  
He shook his head. "You have a charisma, and I'm not expecting to learn that. I'm not expecting to learn how to fight, but...I know how high society moves. I want to know how to move the same way in…"  
"Low society?"  
"The rough crowd," he finished. "If I don't learn anything, fine. It's not you, it's me. But I don't think I'm wasting my time."  
This sounded better to Giovanni.  
"You mentioned something earlier about me getting somethin' out of this…"  
"But of course."  
"What?"  
He smiled. "Ask, and ye shall receive. Whatever you like. There is little that I cannot obtain for you…and what little I cannot I'm working on."  
He took note but ignored the slightly darker tone of the last sentence. He was of the opinion that rich people were all crazy.  
Giovanni thought about what he could ask for; he could ask for enough to set him up for life. Enough to live like a king the rest of his days. But he knew that wasn't what he wanted. What he wanted was that feeling he had onstage, all the time.  
"It's similar, really. I don't plan on being in some band all my life, but I don't have the contacts to make a move. And…I'll tell you how to move down if you tell me how to move up."  
He smiled, "Agreed."  
Giovanni relaxed, just a bit, and took out his cigarettes. He almost put them away before offering one to his new "partner". That he actually took it surprised him, so was the way he broke off the filter, just like him.  
Maybe he there was hope for something yet.  
"Oh, by the way, I didn't catch your name. I'm sure you know mine," Giovanni started. "It's hard to trust a man with no name."  
"Maximilion Pegasus."  
They shook hands.  
"Mind if I use your phone? I could order us in some food and wine. My staff will deliver."  
"Merlot?"  
"Naturally."  
Yes, this would work out quite well.

* * *

A/N: The Giovanni in this story is the Giovanni from Pokemon. But it's not really a crossover since it's set in Domino City; Giovanni is just there.  
I was inspired partly by a flashback episode where Giovanni was a rocker with long hair. Anyway, enjoy the weird.


	2. Clarity and Consideration

Giovanni was relieved that, after he had come to an understanding with Pegasus, the man had stopped coming to the bar where they had first met. The band had a regular gig there, and it would have caused problems if he had been expected to turn Little Lord Fauntleroy into someone presentable where Giovanni was widely known. After beating him up in front of everyone, he couldn't start doing him favors. His reputation with both sexes would be compromised (though he only cared about one's opinion). Instead, they met at a bar that was in the next city, to assure themselves of privacy. Neither one of them had agreed which of these "lessons" would be first, it just somehow ended up with Giovanni setting the date to start helping Pegasus. Truth be told Giovanni would have chosen not to go first and have had Pegasus help him find connections ASAP; "take the money and run" being one of Giovanni's credos. So part of him respected that Pegasus had made sure that he would fulfill his part of the bargain. And of course, part (the rest) of him hated him for it.

Tonight would be the first meeting with teaching as its goal. They had met once or twice before this, to get to know each other's personalities better; and to set up this meeting.  
When they were trying to get to know each other, they had met in a bar known for its atrocious lighting, for the previously mentioned reason that Giovanni did not want to be associated with Pegasus. Not yet, anyway. He wore that ridiculously pristine outfit once again, and Giovanni had told him that if he ever saw Pegasus in those clothes again he would beat him up, deal or not.  
"If you want people to fear you, then they're going to have to respect you. So you'd better wear something that you can actually look less like an idiot in."  
He could tell Pegasus was put off by his bluntness, but he saw no point in sugar-coating anything. The faster Pegasus got what he wanted, the faster Giovanni could as well.

When Giovanni entered the sports bar they had agreed upon, he was pleased that his orders had been heeded. Pegasus was wearing a black turtle-neck with jeans, and reddish-sports jacket was folded neatly over the back of his chair. Giovanni could work with this.  
Pegasus's outfit was similar to Giovanni's own tonight. It was a nicer bar than what his band performed at, so he wore a shirt with cut-off sleeves under his vest and had his long hair in a loose, low pony-tail.  
Giovanni thought it was best for Pegasus to work his way down to seedier joints.  
He came up to the bar and sat next to him; not even looking at the man before he ordered his beer.  
"So, what's the first lesson?"  
Giovanni took a drink from his bottle.  
"Depends," was his answer. "What, exactly, is this dream of yours that you need a punk like me?"  
Pegasus looked uncomfortable and didn't answer.  
Giovanni took another long drink, "Listen, I don't really care what it is. I'll tell you right now that I believe if you can get away with something, you should. I really don't care."  
He was still quiet.  
Giovanni put down his empty bottle and signaled for another.  
"Alright, I'll just point out all your flaws. That'll be fun."  
He looked him over slowly.  
"First off, you're too quiet. And I don't mean you have to talk more. But the only reason I noticed you in the first place is because you were dressed in something that made you look like a clown. That'll only get you contempt. And beat up. But you know that, don't you?" he said the last part with false sweetness, enjoying Pegasus's reaction and the way he stopped himself from touching his nose.  
"So, act confident. Even if you don't feel it. And I'm not saying any more because I'm starting to sound like an after-school special."  
Giovanni then turned out toward the rest of the bar, and concentrated on drinking and scanning for women.  
"…But…what do I do then? I could be as obnoxious as you quite easily, but I still couldn't win in a fight."  
"You could learn how. Just find one and jump in. Or start one yourself."  
"I'd rather not."  
Giovanni smiled to himself, "I didn't think you would. But fighting isn't important right now. How do you get respect at your fancy parties? Or don't you? Am I dealing with a total wuss?"  
Pegasus sniffed. _Sniffed. _If he didn't know what he was dealing with before, Giovanni knew now. Here was a grown man who _sniffed _in annoyance.  
"I am well liked in my usual circles."  
"Why?"  
More annoyance. Good.  
More sniffing. Also good.  
"I don't have to answer that."  
"You sniff too much."  
"Silence."  
"I bet when the boys want a good ride, they call you."  
Pegasus grabbed him by the vest and shook him.  
"How. Dare. You."  
This time is was Pegasus who threw the first punch, but it wasn't fast or well aimed. Giovanni ended up with a hard knock on the side of the head, which stunned him for a moment but not much else. Giovanni was able to knee him in the stomach before security broke them up and threw them out.  
When they were outside, Pegasus tried to start the whole thing again.  
"So, the first lesson," Giovanni said as the man rushed toward him. "Is to exploit weaknesses. Are your buttons so easy to push all the time?"  
Pegasus came up short. "So, so that was all—" His anger began to rise again.  
"The second lesson is never fight angry. You do dumb stuff. Like attack me."  
Pegasus took a few deep breaths to calm down.  
"Alright. I'm beginning to see your point about being more confident. Confident people wouldn't let that bother them."  
"You're smarter than you look. Your homework is to play some poker."  
"Poker?"  
"Learn to read poker faces. That'll help with finding weaknesses. And while you're playing, practice being the guy _they _can't read. Keep your confidence no matter what your hand."  
Pegasus nodded.  
"And get in another fight. You're pitiful."  
"You said fighting wasn't important!"  
"The third lesson is that I lie."  
And with that, class was dismissed for the time being.

The next class was a few weeks later at a bar where Giovanni could come shirtless and with hair free and flowing. He had arrived before Pegasus this time. Giovanni wanted to see how much progress the man had been able to make. He didn't have to wait too long. He was half-way done with his first beer when Pegasus came in. He didn't look that much different—he had switched from dark turtle-neck to dark tailored shirt, but at least it was no longer tucked into his pants—But Giovanni did notice that he walked with a little more swagger. He didn't receive as many glares from the regulars in the bar; a very decent improvement. He was almost someone Giovanni wasn't embarrassed to be sitting next to. As it was, he was tolerable. Pegasus even claimed a seat next to him with more aggression than he had been showing. It was a quiet kind of aggression, but Giovanni knew that Pegasus wouldn't have the same style he had anyway. They thought too differently. It was quiet, but sufficient.  
"I see you've been practicing."  
Instead of looking happy at finally being more "bad", Pegasus instead just looked smug. He had learned quite a bit, indeed. It wasn't a complete transformation, though, as he quickly began explaining what he had been up to.  
"I thought your poker advice was stupid when I heard it, but…you were right. The more I did it, the better I got! I started noticing all these little things I never paid attention to before."  
"How much did you lose?"  
Pegasus started to get annoyed, but quickly caught himself and smiled instead.  
"I didn't lose a thing."  
"I see that you lie now as well."  
The smile became more strained, but it remained.  
"Not a thing, Gio-boy."  
Giovanni smothered his spark of irritation from the nickname. Something Pegasus had discovered as part of his confident persona, obviously. It would put anyone on edge, but Giovanni was determined not to let himself be beat on his own turf.  
"Let's move on," Giovanni said. "Are you ready to tell me what this amazing dream of yours is?"  
There was silence again.  
"I guess I could continue on with general skills…I'll show you how to snag a woman."  
"N-no. I need nothing like that." The protest was too fast to sound normal, and Giovanni raised an eyebrow at him.  
Pegasus sighed. "I…have a woman already. Well, an angel. I would never…" He trailed off with a sadness to his voice that Giovanni didn't understand.  
"…Having _a_ woman implies one. As in the singular."  
"Some men only need one, Gio-boy."  
With the return of the nickname, and a hint of venom behind those words, Giovanni let it drop.

They sat in silence for a long time, unmoving from their spot at the bar.  
Giovanni finally spat out, "Listen, this was your idea! I'm not asking you to trust me with everything, but tell me whatever you expect to learn or I'm going to leave. Are you serious about this or not?!"  
Something he said seemed to have struck a chord inside Pegasus. He looked faraway in thought.  
"Serious…? Of course I'm serious! This is the most serious undertaking of my life!"  
"Then start acting like it and cooperate!" Giovanni rumbled out.  
Pegasus started to say something, but quickly stopped and looked at Giovanni. Giovanni stared back.  
"I…can't tell you the whole thing. You wouldn't believe me. But…I'm looking for…something.  
And I probably won't be able to get this item by…conventional…means. So…I need…I need to find people I can trust."  
"You can't trust anyone."  
Pegasus was annoyed. "I know that. Trust isn't the word, but…I need to make sure they'll do what I want."  
Giovanni gave a thin smile, "So, you want control. Don't we all? In your case, however, I think it can be done. Let me ask you something: During your card games, did you ever use those weaknesses you discovered in other people to your advantage?"  
Pegasus snorted. Better than sniffing, but still not quite there.  
"You take me for a fool? Of course I did."  
"And what happened?"  
"They became quite upset, naturally."  
"And _that_ is what you've been looking for."  
Pegasus thought hard, "Are you telling me I have to make others angry?"  
"Don't you remember lesson two?"  
"All I remember is wanting to pummel you. That wasn't control."  
"Yes, it was. I made you come after me; that wasn't your idea. But that's the most basic kind of control.  
If you want more…fear is good. Fear of violence works wonders."  
"I told you, I don't want to fight. I'm not suited for it."  
Giovanni sighed, "Yes, yes. Can't have you breaking those delicate hands of yours…But how about we switch our thinking? I was after a woman—"  
"Why am I not surprised that this is your example?"  
"Because it's perfect. Now shut up. This woman I was after, she had a boyfriend. He was a big hulking mass of muscles; it's what she liked. I could've taken the guy down, and I would've, but I'd be too beat up after winning to enjoy my prize-If she stuck around long enough for me to get the blood off. So, what should I do?"  
Pegasus waited politely with no enthusiasm.  
"Whenever she was in the bar without him, I go out of my way to be better to her than he is. I got her drinks; I stared into her eyes when I was playing those stupid love songs my drummer likes; sent her flowers. And soon, Muscle-Head doesn't look too hot anymore. She leaves him and I get her and I don't have to get blood out of my vest again."  
"I'm not sure if I understand what that's supposed to teach me," Pegasus said slowly.  
"I _made _a weakness and used it to my advantage. I gave her something better than Muscles, so he became his own worst enemy. And later, I broke his legs with a bat."  
Pegasus just stared at him in apparent horror.  
Giovanni wondered how the man could be smart one second and stupid the next.  
"If there's a weakness, use it. And if there's no weakness, make one. And when you find your own weaknesses, make them into strengths. You can be creative. I seem to remember some annoying guy who kept buying me drinks so he could talk to me…"  
"I...I think I understand!" He clapped his hands in excitement. Giovanni winced. He didn't think Pegasus would ever get normal enough to actually be seen with.  
"Just wait right here," Pegasus said.  
He left the spot where they had been sitting and went towards the back of the room, where a bombshell in expensive clothes that Giovanni had been keeping an eye on all night was sitting. Giovanni might have made a pass at her if Pegasus hadn't been there; though her clothes indicated that she went for men who had an expense account. It was because this was a seedy bar near the good side of town where CEOs sometimes got drunk that someone of her caliber would even think of spending the evening there. Dressed as he was, Giovanni didn't compare well with Pegasus.  
Pegasus made his way back.  
"Glad I was able to help you in so _many_ areas," Giovanni said through clenched teeth.  
Pegasus handed him some keys, "I told her you were the CEO of Harley-Davidson looking for some fun. As your loyal secretary, I thought it only right to inform you that you bought her the most expensive bottle of champagne in the bar and you are going to take her for a ride in your Rolls later."  
Giovanni looked at the keys, debating the idea of not accepting them.  
"I'm just putting your ideas into practice. It's a thank-you present."  
He still said nothing, thinking to himself.  
"…I don't care what happens on it or inside it."  
Giovanni hated being so transparent; he couldn't refuse now even if he had wanted to.  
As he passed Pegasus to join the woman he said, "I still hate you."  
Pegasus smiled, "Likewise, Gio-Boy, likewise."


	3. Fufillment

Pegasus' training wasn't complete, but he had learned enough to start holding up his end of the bargain. At least, this is what Giovanni decided after the umpteenth time of having to drag the man away from a card game of some sort. Pegasus seemed to be a natural at analyzing others through the small decisions they made; simple little things like when they folded and when they raised and when they asked for more cards and when they tried to cheat. Pegasus always knew when they tried to cheat; it seemed something had been awakened within him to notice and read others. Which was very good for the both of them; Giovanni could bet on Pegasus during games and win some money, and Pegasus could feel like he learned something. But now that his student seemed to be obsessed with annoying people ("Gio-Boy" wasn't just a one-time thing, or something he only did with Giovanni), playing cards and second-guessing them, Giovanni decided it was time for Pegasus to come through on his end and help Giovanni move up.

When Giovanni told him as much, Pegasus seemed to be happy to oblige. Maybe a bit too happy, and Giovanni slightly feared for his quality of life now that Pegasus was in the position of power. He had a vision of Pegasus saying, "If you want to succeed, you'll have to be like me! From now on, you'll do what I do." And after that they would spend all their time together like some sort of horrible buddy-comedy and they'd learn about each other and form a friendship based on their mutual differences that somehow mesh into something complimentary.  
Pegasus didn't say that, however. Instead, he ordered Giovanni to bring him a newspaper with a section on the stock market and they spent several afternoons going over the different numbers and columns and how they worked. On the fourth day, Giovanni was tired of the whole process.  
"How long are we going to waste time on this? I asked for contacts to move up. I'm not like you where I had to learn to act human," he complained. "Just let me meet someone with money."  
Pegasus sighed in exasperation.  
Giovanni was very happy he had broken him of that sniffing habit.  
"You, sir, are quite impatient. I could just introduce you to my acquaintances, but I thought you wanted to move up? As you are now, you might be able to get money but you wouldn't get much else. You'd still be a guitarist. You wouldn't move up, you'd just be a highly-paid puppet."  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"You rush into everything; you're too blunt and you only think about women."  
The smug tone just came from telling Giovanni off and not because Pegasus felt it was a long overdue dose of truth. Giovanni was sure of that.  
"The first two are vile lies and the last one is just your jealousy speaking."  
Pegasus stared at him, thinking.  
"Maybe you'd learn better by doing something…Alright, let's try an experiment. Pick a stock, the two of us will watch it and speculate a bit. Let's see if you or me can make the most money."  
Giovanni gave him a derisive stare. "As if I have the money to spare for something like _that_."  
Pegasus smiled, "Don't worry about that. I'll spot you for it."  
"No."  
Knowing why he wouldn't accept the money, Pegasus went on. "It's not my money, it's what I won in last night's game. So really, it's money you showed me how to make. I'm going to do the same for you."  
Reluctantly, Giovanni agreed.

Three weeks later, Giovanni was almost out of cash and didn't understand how. He and Pegasus had both picked and watched a stock Giovanni had picked at random (some military-supply company) and Giovanni had tried to buy low and sell high, but it never seemed to work for him. And meanwhile, he had watched that insufferable Pegasus do _nothing_ for almost the entire time and suddenly, two days ago, he had a lucky guess and bought an enormous amount of stock for next to nothing and it was already rebounding at astounding rates on the market. And Giovanni hated him, because he knew it wasn't a lucky guess and he wanted to know how he did it. He wanted to know more than anything, but also more than anything he didn't want to ask Pegasus how he had done it.  
But at the end of the week, he knew he would have to swallow his pride and beg an answer. He had started assigning points based off the NASDAQ to the women in his audiences. He didn't even know how the numbers applied, they just appeared in front of his eyes; floating above their heads and indicating their desirability. With arrows moving up and down over invisible charts throughout the evening; tracking how many points they gained and lost by silly little actions like how drunk they were at the end of the set and how many times they rolled their eyes when they laughed. It made the whole thing too analytical and took the fun out of the chase for Giovanni. He needed the capriciousness back.

Their meeting had been set up for a café near to Pegasus's house, which meant for Giovanni that even with a sleeveless shirt under the vest, he looked out of place. He claimed a chair behind Pegasus's own, keeping up the increasingly futile charade of pretending not to know each other. It was a one-sided charade, but one he held on to.  
"I wanna ask you something. Let's ditch this place," he half whispered as he leaned back in his chair.  
"Just sit in front of me and ask, it's so much easier."  
"Don't make a scene, Pegasus. Everyone's looking."  
"They're looking at you, Gio. Don't you own anything with sleeves? Stop behaving like an animal and sit down at the table while I finish this tiramisu."  
Giovanni slid as quietly as he could into the chair in front of Pegasus.  
He watched in disgust as Pegasus ate the dessert; Pegasus had explained what tiramisu was on another occasion and it made Giovanni sick thinking of all that sugar and chocolate together as a mushy, pudding-like substance. He tried to look away and his gaze landed upon Pegasus's mug.  
"Please tell me that's coffee. Black coffee."  
"Chai, good sir."  
Giovanni pretended chai was a blend of coffee for his own sanity, and lapsed into silence once again. He struggled to find the words he needed to say. Pegasus waited quietly; he knew what was coming. Finally, he burst out, "You're a filthy, no-good, cheating, girly, giggling, money-making idiot and I want your secrets."  
"Does that come with a please?"  
"Bite me."  
Pegasus smiled while Giovanni grew more frustrated.  
"You did nothing, NOTHING, and I watched those stupid columns change and it didn't help," he lowered his voice to a growl. "Teach me what you did." It was almost pleading. A pleading growl.  
Pegasus sipped his chai-concoction. "I'll teach you only if you're willing to listen to everything I have to say."  
A quick nod as an affirmative.  
"Good. The problem you have, Gio-boy—"  
"I stopped being a boy at sixteen, so drop that."  
"Your problem is you're just too impatient. I had only shown you half of what I wanted when you got annoyed and tired of everything. For example, did it ever occur to you to find out who owns the company you invested stock in?"  
"…No."  
Pegasus tsked tsked.  
"If you had done some basic research, as I was going to suggest and show you how, you might have noticed a certain article in the business section—"  
"I don't read the business section."  
"Well, you would have started to read the business section, and you would have noticed an article about how the company was just taken over. And not just a take-over, a hostile take-over. By the original owner's young son! It was quite the upset."  
Giovanni opened his mouth but was interrupted.  
"And then the father killed himself. Naturally, the whole company is in an uproar and selling out left and right. But the son has to be somewhat competent to pull something like that off," He sipped his infernal drink. "At least, that's why I hung onto the stock."  
Giovanni could only stare at him.  
"I take it school can resume, then?"  
Giovanni nodded, and silently followed him out of the café.

Weeks later, Giovanni had to admit that the stock market was nothing but a series of numbers; hard numbers. It was the ever-fluctuating variables of world events, public opinion and the board of directors that made the game interesting. He looked forward to the day when he could meet those variables in person and wield some influence. But until that time, it seemed he would be at Pegasus's command, learning ridiculous amounts of useless information so he would lose his intelligence.  
And his virility.  
"For the last time, Gio, when introducing yourself to a lady, you don't tilt your head to look at her rear!"  
Though it was a result of his good breeding, Giovanni deducted points from Pegasus for using a four letter word instead of a more appropriate three-letter one.  
"Oh, come off it. I looked at her eyes first this time. And then her rack, and then her "rear". I'm not a complete animal."  
Pegasus waved his maid out of his room. He was running out of them quickly. Not because they were upset at the strange treatment they were receiving or because they were offended (Giovanni could personally assure Pegasus that _some _of them were far from offended) but because Giovanni behaved perfectly well the second time he met them. Once he had inspected one, he was capable of pretending to respect them. It was that critical first meeting that he was blowing—over and over again. Mostly for his own enjoyment. Pegasus collapsed into a stuffed-chair and sighed dramatically. Giovanni dragged a regular chair (imported all the way from a thrift store) near Pegasus and turned it around so he could sit in it the wrong way. Because it annoyed the rich kid.  
"C'mon, Pegasus. I'm not going to make a fool out of myself in front of people who _matter_."  
"Everyone matters, Gio."  
"Some matter more than others," he insisted.  
Pegasus tried to explain again why this was important. "I understand that you might have enough self-control to not ogle a female CEO—"  
"It's not ogling. It's appreciating."  
"—And you might be able to resist undressing the hostess with your eyes. But could you hold off on someone' secretary? Or any waitresses that might be there?"  
"Everyone is deserving of appreciation."  
Pegasus threw up his hands in frustration, "Don't you understand that in society, that kind of appreciation isn't welcome? They're not used to it!"  
"Then they'll be happy someone finally notices them. That I notice them."  
Pegasus tried to think of a way to reach this—he didn't want to call him a man. Though, if he thought about it more…that's what he was. A man.  
"Listen, they're not used to it because…These are women who appreciate money and power. More than good looks; more than smooth talk. And if you want them, you can't be looking at them like you're desperate."  
"I _never _look desperate."  
"That's how they're going to take it. And if you ignore them but still look at the hired help, you'll look desperate no matter what. You'll never get the time of day."  
"Are you telling me that no one in high society gets any action?"  
Pegasus shook his head. "You just have to be more subtle with it…When I introduce to you to my friends, I guarantee that they made their money with patience and waiting. And also some sizable inheritances, but they expanded with patience."  
Giovanni looked unconvinced.  
"Try this," Pegasus suggested. "Play your set tonight, and whatever lady—"  
"Woman."  
"_Lady _you choose, instead of your usual possessive self, try ignoring her."  
"And go home alone?!"  
"The challenge," Pegasus said conspiratorially. "Is that you still have to pick her up. The indifference is an act."  
"I think—"  
"Just do it. Tell me how it went tomorrow. And I will be very disappointed—and surprised-if you fail."

When Giovanni didn't return for three days, Pegasus was disheartened that he hadn't been able to help Giovanni as he thought he could, because he really did like enjoy his company and did want to help him. Also, while he had learned much about the lower ranks of society, he knew his training wasn't done and now he would have to find another instructor. Giovanni wouldn't be returning after he had failed the test. A part of him was sad that thing had to end like this.  
A knock at his study door snapped him out of his thoughts as Giovanni barged in, pushing the door open without waiting to be invited in and walking in front of the maid who had tried to announce him.  
"Send her away," he said to Pegasus, flopping facedown onto his couch. Pegasus did so. Pegasus waited for Giovanni to speak. Which he did, after ten-minutes.  
"Training can continue…when I'm done sleeping. I tried your ignoring thing…and they wouldn't leave."  
"For three days?!"  
"I'm very good at ignoring, it turns out. Now shut up."  
At that moment, Pegasus was sure that everything would turn out well.

A month later, he wasn't so sure. They had both taught each other as much as they could and the time was coming for them to part ways. Giovanni had taken him to several bars that were even rougher than the bar he performed at, and Pegasus found that he could make his way around them without causing more of stir than he could handle.  
He, in turn, had taken Giovanni to a couple of casual brunches hosted by people he had met in his university days and Giovanni had made a favorable impression. But none of them were the kind of contacts that Giovanni wanted. For that, they would have to move higher. And that's what Pegasus was worried about.  
"Gio, have I steered you wrong before? I know you did fine at those brunches, but they're part of our generation. If you want to impress the big-wigs, you'll have to commit. You have to wear a suit—with sleeves—and cut your hair."  
Giovanni said nothing, just continued staring into Pegasus's mirror. That's all he had been doing for the past fifteen minutes.  
"I can lend you a suit."  
That seemed to shake him out of his reverie.  
"No, that won't be necessary. I've doing okay on the market lately, I'll buy one."  
"I'll help you pick it out!"  
"Please tell me you're joking."  
Pegasus gave a laugh that could have meant anything and Giovanni decided to ignore it.  
"…There's really no other way?" he said, swishing his hair.  
"I know how much it means to you, but they won't take you seriously any other way. I get away with it because I'm already rich. You can always grow it back out."  
Giovanni suddenly walked toward the door.  
"I'll see you tonight."  
Pegasus watched as he left, unsure of what the future would bring.

That evening brought Pegasus waiting outside the mansion where the party was being held, waiting nervously for Giovanni and coming close to crossing over the fine line of "fashionably late" and "plain late". It was when he had passed by this odd-shaped crack in the sidewalk for the one-thousandth time (literally) that he heard Giovanni's voice say, "She stand you up?"  
He turned around and saw him standing in a well-cut orange suit and short-cropped hair. He had gone the full distance and slicked it back. Very short or very long, it was the two extremes. Giovanni did nothing by halves.  
"Shall we go in?"  
"You first, then me."  
Pegasus nodded. Their plan was for Giovanni to enter by himself and then Pegasus would introduce him to contacts. Pegasus had acquired an invitation for him so he wouldn't be regarded as a flunky of Pegasus. Neither of them wanted that.  
Waiting a few minutes after Pegasus, Giovanni entered and surveyed the party. The air was different than the brunches had been. He could feel that the people in this room were different; these were those variables he wanted to meet—wanted to be. His skin prickled with energy. Or maybe it was nervousness. Either way, he was excited to be there and looked for Pegasus so he could start making contacts. They spotted each other, and just as Giovanni was making his way over to him, a woman—lady—stepped in front of him.  
"I don't think I've seen you around before," she said.  
"I'm new in town," he replied.  
"Oh, from whereabouts?"  
"Ah—that is—Everywhere. I travel extensively."  
He was suddenly interrupted by a Siamese cat rubbing up against his legs. He looked down at it, as it sat next to him and started washing its face.  
"She doesn't usually like people, you must be special."  
"Is she yours?"  
"Yes, I adore Siamese."  
He bent down to pick up the cat, stroking it and listening to its loud purr.  
"You have a very nice—cat," he supplied at the last minute, preventing himself from making a double entendre. That was part of the rules for disregarding. "She has beautiful blue eyes, almost as beautiful as your dress."  
He handed the cat to her. "If you'll excuse me," he said, making his way once again to Pegasus.  
Observing the hostess watch Giovanni walk across the room, Pegasus knew that the evening would be very good for the both of them.

The party went very, very late. Pegasus introduced Giovanni to those interested in the music business, and anyone else Giovanni wanted to meet. Giovanni spent a long time talking to businessmen with different levels of legality (from real business men to "legitimate" businessmen). He spent an even longer time missing from the party (along with the hostess). Pegasus, at this point, just accepted that it was a part of him.  
Leaving the party, Giovanni suggested they go to another bar he knew of. Giovanni never wanted to be seen with Pegasus anymore than necessary, so he was intrigued enough to agree despite his tiredness.  
He was lead down many criss-crossing alleyways and through puddles that he was sure wasn't always water. Eventually they ended up at a large oak door.  
"Take off your jacket," Giovanni said abruptly. "And try to look a little more normal."  
Pegasus thought he looked more normal with the jacket on, but he knew what Giovanni meant. He took off his jacket and tie, and then un-tucked his shirt. He didn't go so far as to rip off the sleeves. Only Giovanni had the arms for that. He pushed the door open, nodded at the bartender and made a motion towards Pegasus. The barkeep made a motion indicating (something) was okay. Giovanni brought Pegasus in with a jerk of his head. They melted into two chairs in the corner of the room and ordered the house draft.  
Pegasus tried to look around at the room, but found he couldn't. It was a dark and hazy place. A place where privacy was guaranteed. Pegasus could see why Giovanni liked this place.  
Their drinks arrived and they said nothing, just sipping in silence.  
The silence was broken by the next table over, who started calling out to Pegasus.  
"Hey, gorgeous! Why don't you come over here?"  
They apparently could only see Pegasus, who was sitting in a less dark corner than Giovanni.  
"Are you lonely, fabulous? I can help you with that. I treat your kind real nice."  
Giovanni sighed and started to get up to deal with the problem, but Pegasus motioned him back into his seat. "I'll take care of this," he said.  
He walked (sashayed) over to the table and got right up into the man's face. "What's that you say, Pretty-Boy? You want make me feel good?"  
The man grabbed Pegasus by the shirt.  
"Hmmm? Oh, you are nau~ghty. Not right here, saucy."  
Pegasus was shoved toward the wall.  
"Freak!" The man screamed in his face.  
Pegasus stared at the man with an intense gaze; one that froze blood and brought an other-worldly glitter into his eyes.  
"Want to see how freaky I can be, boy?" He growled.  
The other man looked frightened, and then let Pegasus go. "You're not worth my time, freak!"  
He quickly left the bar.  
Returning to the table, Giovanni was impressed at…whatever that was.  
"I think you'll be okay after all, Moneybags."  
"Same to you, Punk."  
They drank in silence again; this time there was an almost companionable air between them.  
"I got to talking from some guy from out of the country tonight," Giovanni started. "And from what he was telling me, there's a lot of untapped potential for business there. I was thinking of taking the band over and checking it out."  
"So you'll be growing your hair out again?"  
He shrugged. "Maybe. Or I might just be the manager. It'll be a new start for us, either way. Team Rock-It is goin' to Kanto!"  
He cheered and chugged the rest of his beer, then signaled for another.  
Pegasus said, "I might as well tell you I'm leaving as well. Going to Egypt."  
Giovanni just grunted. Pegasus never had told him what his dream was.  
"I don't even know if what I want is there…but it seems to be the best place to start."  
"So, this is finally over?"  
"It seems so."  
The silence descended upon them again, now uncomfortable. Neither could think of a smooth way to say their farewells.  
Giovanni unexpectedly looked up and behind Pegasus.  
"…Wanna sing a song?"  
"What?"  
"They have a karaoke machine here. I assume it works, though I've never heard anyone using it."  
Pegasus looked at Giovanni carefully before replying, wondering if this was some sort of trap.  
Giovanni just started at him back and put out his hand. Pegasus looked down at it, and then back at Giovanni.  
"Good luck," Giovanni said simply.  
Pegasus took the hand and shook it once, "Good luck," he repeated.  
They didn't stop singing until it was dawn, and when they were done they were so hoarse they could no longer speak as they parted for the last time.  
But, there wasn't anything left to say, either.


	4. Side Story 1: Lonely Night

There was always the possibility that he had drunk too much; however, what he had consumed up until this point was not out of the ordinary for him. It might have been that his gig had gone (fairly) well that night and his companion was much more normal than usual. Whatever the reason, Giovanni felt almost companionable towards Pegasus tonight. They had both fulfilled the other's wishes in their training and were just relaxing at the bar, taking their time with their drinks. Giovanni felt unusually talkative. He wasn't exactly a quiet man by nature, but while he communicated with Pegasus he rarely _talked _with him. If Pegasus was surprised at suddenly being addressed as a human being he showed no signs of it; he rolled with the punches very well for being a stuffed shirt and didn't complain about Giovanni's methods. Giovanni took another drink. Yes, those traits could be called admirable, if he was ever going to start complimenting _men_.  
"It's a quiet night," Giovanni said, looking over the mostly empty bar.  
Pegasus nodded.  
"What do you do on nights like these when we're not mutually degrading each other?"  
Pegasus seemed to think. "It depends, really. Listen to music, or I watch cartoons. Occasionally I paint…"  
"Cartoons? What are you, six?"  
"It's no worse than the hobbies _you _engage in to relax," he retorted with an eye roll. "It's a carefree hobby that I enjoy. And I won't elaborate any further."  
Giovanni decided to leave the poor man his delusions and didn't press the subject. He scanned the empty room again and let out a yawn without noticing.  
"Is is really so bad?" asked Pegasus.  
"Is what so bad?"  
"Well, that yawn seems to say volumes about what you think of your present company; or lack thereof."  
Giovanni turned to face him, "Listen, I'm just tired. I'm not a total lowlife."  
"I could suggest several reasons for your exhaustion and how to avoid the she-devils. Mustn't miss out on your beauty sleep, Gio."  
He growled, "That's the problem. I haven't had a woman in…a long time."  
"What is that for you? Twenty-four hours?"  
"Shut it. I know you've got some weird complex, but I need it to sleep well. If I don't have a girl for awhile I get…messed-up dreams and I can't get any sleep. That's _my _relaxation."  
"Have you tried a hot shower? Or maybe a cold one?"  
He got a hard stare in response.  
"There are also these interesting establishments called 'massage parlors' in the common vernacular…"  
"Paying is for wimps who have no other choice. Always remember that."  
"There's also—"  
"Doing it alone falls in the same category as paying."  
"That's just vulgar. I was going to suggest hot milk."  
Giovanni gave him such a look of utter contempt that Pegasus had to laugh at him.  
"Just joking, my friend. Do you like jazz?"  
He shrugged. "As much as anyone else."  
"What about the blues?"  
"More-so."  
"Well, I happen to have several collections of both genres, a sound system and a large quantity of alcohol at my home. Maybe that could be a way to relax."  
Giovanni glanced around the still empty room.  
"Of course, at my home there would be no chance whatsoever of someone walking in that might help you to relax…"  
Giovanni finished the rest of his drink. "You're serious about going out of your way like this to help me?"  
Pegasus smiled. "Quite serious, Gio. As long as this goes on, I'll always be with you."  
"I'll try not to read too much into that statement," Giovanni answered back, punching Pegasus in the arm lightly. Yes, he'd definitely had too much to drink.  
"Let's go your place then. Might as well make use of you since I'm stuck with you."  
And they both exited the building, laughing.

Giovanni woke up to black and a feeling of disorientation. He groped through the darkness, feeling around until he came upon something soft and curvy and his fear subsided.  
He wasn't sure what was worse about the dream: That somehow he had lost his touch or the genuine amicability he had felt towards Pegasus in it. He shuddered at the memory of the fading terror.  
_It probably would've ended with us making out, the way it was going, _he thought to himself.  
In his mind, that was not over-dramatization.  
He pulled his companion over to himself, pleased to find she was ready to meet his demands.  
After a dream like that, he deserved some sort of compensation.


	5. Side Story 2: Driving Lesson

It had been a relatively quiet night up until he showed up. Giovanni and Pegasus had split up once their lesson was over; Giovanni to the bar to drink while waiting for someone to catch his eye, and Pegasus to start a card game. When the man came inside, Pegasus was between games and was watching Giovanni. Giovanni interested him; he found him difficult to read (except in one aspect) and his one mood of "annoyed" seemed to be there to mask what he was thinking. Pegasus took learning to read Giovanni better as a secret extra assignment to help himself improve. Which is why he was surprised when Giovanni turned around and avoided eye-contact with the newcomer, who had noticed him anyway and came towards him. Giovanni had often told Pegasus he was afraid of no one. Pegasus couldn't let such an opportunity pass him by and moved closer to Giovanni to observe. Giovanni noticed Pegasus and glared daggers at him while the other man slapped Giovanni on the back.  
"Johnny! Long time no see!" said the man, who was about Giovanni's height and had the same skin tone. His hair was dark and regular length; he was dressed in the current style with nothing in particular that made him stand out. Pegasus wondered what was so threatening to Giovanni from this man.  
Giovanni didn't turn around and didn't answer him.  
"Johnny? It's me! Tom!"  
Giovanni finally muttered something in reply.  
"Aw, don't be like that, Johnny!"  
"My name is Giovanni!" It wasn't yelled, but the sharpness made it sound like it was.  
Tom sat down in the next chair and ordered a beer.  
"We're not in Italy; no one is named "Giovanni"! Get with the times, Johnny."  
He growled, "It's my name, and it's Giovanni. You're going to call me that unless you want me to pummel you, _Thomasio_."  
Tom pulled away from him in anger. "Geeze, lighten up. Alright. I'm just saying you're not fresh off the boat, are ya? Why you gotta hang on to the old country?"  
Giovanni sighed, "Our great-great-grandparents were the last ones 'fresh off the boat'. And now it's heritage."  
Tom gulped his drink in an amazing display of animalism, thought Pegasus.  
"It's not anything but a problem. I bet you still don't have a decent job! You're just going to re-enforce old stereotypes! We have to help raise our people, John-er—Not drag them down. Take me for example: I went to school and got a good job and now I got a fast car."  
Giovanni stared at him. "That's all you really wanted to talk about, wasn't it?"  
Tom grinned at him, "It's a Corvette. It might be a bit old, but at least it's 'Merican. No Fix It Again, Tony for me!"  
He finished the rest of his beer and went over to some other people who had been waving at him for awhile, laughing.  
"…That's for a Fiat, you idiot…"  
Seething, he paid for his drink and left the bar.  
It didn't completely surprise Pegasus about an hour later, after Tom exited the bar, to hear him scream. When it wasn't one of pain, Pegasus had to investigate why that was. He came out to Tom staring at an open parking space.  
"My Corvette! It's been stolen!"

Pegasus knew his target well enough to guess what would happen to the car, and so he quickly made his way to where most of the night clubs in town were located. It didn't take him long to find Giovanni, who was leaning against the car under a streetlight, watching the passing women and deliberating.  
The image fit him so well it negated most of the predatory look that it gave Giovanni. What little was left he relished and used to his advantage.  
Pegasus came over to join him, much to his annoyance. He stood off to the side, engaging him but not standing under the light.  
"Tom's found out about his car. He was going in to report it stolen when I left."  
Giovanni just nodded, staring straight ahead, trying to get him to leave by acknowledging the information.  
"You might want to get rid of it."  
"They're not going to go crazy over one guy's car this late; besides, I've already changed the plates."  
Pegasus couldn't help but admire the planning he had put into this spur-of-the-moment plan.  
He came over to lean against the car with him. Giovanni swerved his head suddenly at Pegasus.  
"What do you think you're doing?"  
"Joining you."  
"Drop dead."  
"What's the matter?" Pegasus enjoyed trying to get Giovanni mad. And it was easiest to do that when it concerned women.  
"I'm busy," Giovanni said through his teeth.  
Pegasus said nothing in reply; he just waited. The women kept passing down the street, and while Giovanni knew he could still pick any one of them up, he didn't want Pegasus there. First of all, because there was always a chance of his techniques being stolen (though he more or less believed the man that he wasn't interested beyond the one he already had); but mostly it was because Giovanni was a very possessive man, and he didn't even want to even share the _experience_ of chatting with whomever he had targeted with anyone else. He wanted it all of it to be his own.  
Pegasus finally broke the silence, "I can't help but notice that you haven't lit your cigarette."  
"I don't smoke if I have a job the next day."  
"But, why have one at all?"  
Giovanni gestured to include the car, the street, himself and the whole scene they made:  
"Completes the image."  
And then he gave Pegasus a hard stare that told him that he _clearly_ broke the image, and he had better get out before Giovanni did something he'd regret. And by "he", he meant Pegasus.  
"You have all night for this," Pegasus said, motioning to the night-clubs and women on the street in exasperation. "Don't you want to see what this car is capable of? Let's take it on the mountain road."  
"I might have changed the plates, but I'm not dumb enough to go and give a cop a reason to pull me over."  
Pegasus patted his shoulder in an assuring way that made Giovanni's skin crawl. He never wanted a man to be that friendly with him. Ever.  
"Don't worry, Gio," Pegasus patted his wallet. "I have a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card. Come on, let's go to Highland Peak. The road will be empty this time of night."  
Giovanni had wanted to test out the car even before Fancy Pants suggested it; he allowed himself to be convinced and entered the car with Pegasus gleefully following. He watched as Giovanni twisted some wires together below the steering wheel and the engine roared to life.  
He let the car idle for a few seconds before turning to Pegasus and saying, "Have you committed a crime before?"  
"I'm not going to feel guilty and turn us in after this, if that's what you're worried about."  
"I'm not. You've just been touching everything in and on the car and," his hands tightened on the steering wheel. Pegasus just now noticed he was wearing leather gloves. "It'd be a pain to have to wipe everything when we're done. But we'd only have to do that if you're on record."  
"Your concern is uncharacteristic but welcome, Gio. You don't have to worry."  
"I don't want you going to jail before you hold up your end of the deal."  
They started to pull out of the parking space, and Pegasus asked, "Where did you get those gloves?"  
"I always have them."  
"Really?"  
"Surely you don't forget our first meeting?"  
Pegasus left the statement at that.  
Before pulling on to the long stretch of road that led to Highland Peak, Giovanni had one last question.  
"You don't get car-sick, do you? Because you're cleaning any mess by yourself."  
But he floored the accelerator right after that, so Pegasus never was able to answer.

It was the car that got sick.  
Giovanni had driven it as fast as he could handle, and what he lacked in experience he made up for in brashness. The car couldn't take the rough treatment without protest and had finally overheated at the top of the peak, refusing to move and becoming a hissing monument to their run.  
"Shall I call for ride back?" asked Pegasus.  
Giovanni said nothing and instead searched around in the back for something. After a struggle, he was able to come back out with a gallon of water.  
"You can jump ship, but I'm still planning on making use of this baby. Once she cools down, I can put the water in and drive back to have some fun."  
Giovanni was not a man to hum in satisfaction, but he allowed himself a half-smile as he got out of the car. Being in a small space next to Pegasus was less than ideal. He'd be more comfortable in the night air waiting for the car to cool. He found a picnic table used by tourists when they came up to the visitor's center at the top of the peak (closed at this time of night) and laid down on top of it. He was planning what to do first when he got back to the city when he heard the other door open and the crunch of footsteps on gravel and then grass. They stopped next to the picnic table and Giovanni sat up, to be in a less vulnerable position. Pegasus ignored this and sat down on the bench, looking at the view the peak offered. It was a tourist attraction for a good reason. He opened his mouth to speak,  
"—Don't you dare comment on the view," Giovanni spat. "This is awkward enough as it is. Is your ride coming?"  
"I thought I'd keep you company, Gio-boy."  
"You want to be thrown off that cliff, don't you?"  
Pegasus shrugged, "Suit yourself. But it seems awfully self-defeating to keep me from going to jail only to throw me off a cliff."  
Giovanni came down off the top of the table to sit at the opposite end of the bench seat.  
"But at least then it'd be something I'd done with my own hands…"  
With a final glance of contempt, Giovanni resigned himself to his fate and started planning his evening again, blocking out Pegasus' existence from his mind. This was his preferred way to spend the time waiting for the car, but Pegasus always needed something to be going on. He liked to talk; he liked excitement; he couldn't sit in silence.  
"Gio, tell me how you learned to hotwire a car."  
He got a strange look in reply, "Why are you interested in that?"  
"I've never met anyone who could actually do that," he explained.  
"Too bad for you," Giovanni commented dryly. "But curiosity killed the cat. I'm not tellin' you nothin'."  
"Can I apply the rules of double negatives and extract a story anyway?"  
He got a snarl in return.  
Pegasus was even more desperate than before to get the story; it was just something he was wondering about before, but this denial made it seem special. He turned to desperate measures:  
"Oh, pleeeease, Gio! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Pleeeeease!"  
That it was beneath him was beside the point. He knew Giovanni would cave to get him to stop whining.  
"Shut up!" he finally snapped. "Listen, if you want something from me, I need something from you. That's the way things work."  
"What do you want?"  
"The "Get Out of Jail Free" card. Give me that and I'll answer your question."  
Pegasus took out his wallet and considered; most of the cash was from cards earlier tonight, but it was still a large sum and he didn't stay rich by giving his money away. On the other hand, he was rarely able to make Giovanni do anything, so that alone was worth it. He slowly handed over the bills, saying, "With as much as is in there, I think that's worth two questions."  
Giovanni counted the bills, which ended up being a considerable sum, and gave a quick nod of acquiescence. He figured he had better humor Pegasus, or he just get more whining again.  
"Alright," he said, pocketing the cash. "Your first question?"  
Pegasus thought. "What's the history between you and Tom?"  
Giovanni narrowed his eyes, "That's too general. You get specific questions only."  
"Then tell me how you know him."  
"We grew up in the same neighborhood. Next question."  
"Gio, I paid good money to have you talk. Either give it back or man up and speak."  
Giovanni took a deep breath to calm himself. Pegasus was on his last nerves.  
"…Alright. He moved into town during high school. He unfortunately lived next door to me and seemed to think that made us friends."  
"And the whole 'Johnny' thing?"  
"He's got a thing against foreign countries. I don't know why. He hates anything—even names—that aren't from around here. And that is all I can stand to talk about him. Next."  
Pegasus wanted to press further, he was sure that somewhere deep in Giovanni's past was a story about a double-date gone wrong that eventually twisted him into what he was today; but he decided not to try his luck. Instead he asked, "Now tell me about the hotwiring."  
Giovanni looked at the car, but it was still hissing, though with less vehemence. He hoped that it would be cool by the time he had finished. He wasn't about to dance for Pegasus all night.  
"This is a fond memory of mine…" he started.  
"Oh no," Pegasus interrupted. "This is going to involve women. I want to change my question."  
"Too late. Now, when I was just starting out with the band, we didn't have that many regular gigs. We'd take whatever odd jobs to support everyone, and I spent most of my time trying to book us anything in the meantime. I ended up in every bar in a 10-mile radius, and at some point I ended up with a reputation for being a Don Juan."  
" 'Ended up'…"  
Giovanni ignored the dig, "One night, my drummer and I struck out with every joint we tried to get booked for, so we went out and got hammered. In the process, he comes up with the idea that we could use my skills to make some money. I pick a chick at random from the room and I get fifteen minutes to go all the way with her."  
Pegasus was appalled, "All the way? Right there? That's—that's—"  
Giovanni gave him a look of contempt, "I have standards. Very few morals, but standards. As long as I got the panties, they took that as proof enough. Moving to the bathroom was usually enough engineer that outcome."  
Pegasus was now disgusted for a different reason, but refrained from more questions. He didn't want to add on to his misery.  
"Of course, it wasn't long before they insisted I got handicaps. First it was that I couldn't target anyone who had more than three drinks. Then it was I had to come in early evening, before the freaks came out. And then it was that they had to pick out the woman for me."  
He paused and seemed to be waiting for comment.  
"I'm sure you rose to the occasion," Pegasus finally humored him.  
"Of course I did. But I went a step beyond. I worked out a system. I knew this one girl, Ginger, and she was into role-play. Not my thing, but she loved it. I would have her dress-up and be in the crowd on the nights when I was working my magic. Most of the time she ended up being the one they picked."  
"So, you cheated."  
"You're so simple," he sighed. "First of all, it wasn't a guarantee, though I would ask her to dress like an Ice Queen. Next, I might have known her, but she took her role-play seriously. I still had to seduce whoever she was that night. And, lastly, I don't bet to lose." He paused to catch his breath before continuing. "But my finest hour came on an evening she couldn't make it."  
Pegasus yawned and Giovanni smiled thinly.  
"You're the one who asked for this story. Don't worry, your question is going to be answered soon. As I said, Ginger couldn't make it and I was wondering who I was going to try my charm against when this one guy comes up to the bar and slaps down this huge wad of cash. The bets so far had gotten a couple hundred, but this was at least a thousand. He says that he has a proposition for me with a few extra rules, if I'm willing. I thought about refusing him; this guy bet against me regularly and was one of the more vocal losers. And on top of that, he seemed to live vicariously through me—You know the type. Lots of the guys there were like that, but they usually bet _for _me and he just felt a little off."  
Pegasus thought it wasn't just him that was off but kept it to himself.  
"But I decided the money was too good to pass up and so I asked the conditions. They ended up being that he gets to pick the target, and that I have to get her to go all the way in this car parked out front. Most of the time, a neutral party picks the target so no one feels cheated. But for the amount he was offering, I knew there was going to be a catch or two. The car wasn't that much of an obstacle, so I just waited for the guy to show me the girl and so he points to me what has to be one of his buddies' kid sister. She didn't look like anything other than jail bait, and there're few women who're worth the risk."  
"You mean there are some?"  
Giovanni looked seriously at Pegasus, "Your problem is that you haven't _lived_."  
He contemplated him for a few seconds more, pitying his limited experience of the world, and then continued.  
"I went for it anyway, because the guy might've been planning something, but he wasn't the kind to risk some under-age girl to a guy like me. He was the White Knight-type."  
Pegasus seriously doubted that a White Knight would bet a woman, period.  
"Then he tells me I've got ten-minutes and to go. Not only do I get less time, I've gotta get her outside and pop her cherry. It's hard enough to find an experienced woman comfortable enough to do it outside, but never, ever a virgin. They're always scared and want it to be some magical, special experience for themselves. It's tedious and I hate them. So I go over and start talking and I can tell she's going to take longer than ten-minutes. But there's serious dough on the line. I'm not about to kiss it goodbye. So I wrap my arms around her and whisper what's goin' on to her. I tell her if she plays along, she's in for a cut. She gets all quiet and I wonder if I'm going to have to drag her away and force the panties off. But then she nods and we walk out to the car together. I hold her close so no one can see her face. I didn't want to give anything away. We get to the car and she tells me that I should get in first; she'd feel more comfortable if I wasn't pinning her down. I said they were tedious before, didn't I? It's harder on bottom, but since she was wearin' a skirt I let her have her way. So I get in and lay down and she follows after me so timidly that I'm sure the whole thing's going to be blown. But once she gets on top she finally starts to act the part and grabs my shoulders and puts her face close to mine and starts to move against me. I start my hands down her back and towards the skirt when all of a sudden her lips are all over my face and then my mouth and her tongue is—"  
"-Please, I don't need all the details."  
"You wouldn't. Anyway, her sudden change of attitude surprises me and so I stop doing anything to her for a split-second. And it's at that point that I find myself handcuffed to the passenger-side door. She gets off me and says, 'Sorry, buddy. Nothin' personal.' And hotwires the car and drives off with me to parts unknown. I say to her, "You didn't strike me so kinky." And all she does is smile at me and go back to driving. We drive like that for about twenty-minutes and then she starts to slow down, so I ask her what it's all about. She tells me that I've made some enemies in the bar and they want to take me down a peg. She's going to stop the car outside the city limits and get something from the trunk that'll make me quiet for a couple hours, and then the car'll be reported stolen. And I know it's all true. This was the kind of plan that guy'd come up with."  
White Knight, Pegasus thought again.  
"So she pulls over and shuts off the car and gets out and goes to the trunk to get whatever is gonna knock me out. What she's not expecting is that when she gets back, I have my hands out of the cuffs and I bring her down to the ground. I grab her arms and squeeze her wrists until she lets go of the syringe she was holding and then drag her back into the car. I sit on top of her stomach and hold her as still as I can. Luckily for me, she wasn't that strong. She wouldn't have been able to cuff my hands if she hadn't taken me by surprise. So the first thing I do is return the favor and cuff her to the door—"  
"Wait, how did you get the handcuffs on her? Did you pick the lock?"  
"You think I can pick a lock that quickly?" he asked. "I dislocated my wrists. I cuffed her to the door by opening them with the key."  
"Where did you get the key?"  
"She was wearing a blouse and a skirt. Where else would a woman keep something as important as a key? It's common sense."  
"…Of course it is."  
Giovanni ignored the tone.  
"Now we've reversed positions, but she still has the advantage and she knows it. I can't start the car, and sooner or later they'll report it as stolen anyway and then she'll add abduction on to the list. We just look at each other for a few minutes, and then I tell her she's going to teach me how to hotwire the car again.  
'Why would I help you?'  
'Because I think more than the car, the police would be very interested in that syringe you had earlier. The one that has only your fingerprints. But you help me out of this, and I think I can help you out of that.'  
She looks at me, and I can see her weighing her options. I can she her weakening.  
'And maybe I'll show you how to get out of those cuffs yourself. You can have your own private lessons.'  
It clinched it as I thought it would, and she talks me through starting the car. I'm able to bring the car back to the bar without a scratch on it. I walk in and the guy is silent as the grave as I collect my money. Just before I put it away, he demands some proof that I succeeded and I give him all the clothes the girl was wearing. He doesn't bother me again and I go back to my apartment."  
"…Where the girl is waiting?"  
"That goes without saying."  
There was silence. Pegasus broke it at length with, "I was hoping for something a bit more exciting."  
"Like what?" he asked, irritated.  
"That the girl turned out to be a cross-dresser or something."  
"…You're sick."  
Pegasus was pleased he wasn't the only one who was uncomfortable anymore.  
But Giovanni didn't notice; the car was ready and he was filling it with water.  
They drove back in silence, Giovanni and his half-smile again making an appearance and Pegasus wishing he had called for a ride home after all. Giovanni dropped him just inside the city limits, insisting that he had wasted enough of the night with him already.

Pegasus later found out that Tom eventually got his car back, but only after it had been towed from the next city over. It apparently had been parked in a public fountain.  
When he next saw Giovanni, he asked him about it.  
"Why did you park it in a fountain?" he asked as discreetly as he could.  
Giovanni considered the question.  
"Do you really want to know?"  
"…No, I probably don't."  
"Then you've learned your lesson."  
Don't ask questions unless you want the answer: It was one of the hardest lessons Pegasus had to be taught. And the most expensive.


	6. Side Story 3: Prescription Medicine

He could tell from the look in his eyes that it was only a matter of time before the full force of his torture came upon him. Pegasus had been very specific about when and where for this lesson, and Giovanni knew that something "special" must have been planned for him. Pegasus hadn't even tried to hide the excitement that had burst from his voice when he had called Giovanni's apartment to tell when to meet next. Pegasus' mysterious giggling most likely was an expression of his self-delight and not a tactic to deliberately tick Giovanni off, but Giovanni had never found it worth his time to ever think well of anyone and so his evening was ruined. Almost.  
He could still go out and pick-up a date, and that was more than Pegasus could do.  
If Pegasus noticed his continuing bad mood when they met up later that week, he gave no indication. Giovanni knew he was being ignored and it did nothing to improve his view of the situation.

They walked over to the bar, placed an order and carried their drinks over to a table that Pegasus had already staked out. He indicated that Giovanni's chair was the one facing the bar with its back towards the door.  
As they drank, Pegasus would keep an eye on the door and Giovanni thought if he hadn't known better, that he was waiting for a woman.  
_Interesting, _he thought to himself. He hoped it was a woman. He knew it wasn't, but the idea of watching Pegasus acting even more idiotic (to someone else) this evening would raise his spirits considerably. He also wondered what Pegasus' style would be. Most likely some sort of slow, antiquidated process that might get you in bed in three months, if you were lucky. If he were a more philosophical man he would enjoy watching such a display performed by one of the last practitioners of the art (he was sure) and reflect upon how dating and courtship had evolved. But Giovanni would never find the slow and steady way with women anything but stupid.  
"Care to enlighten me?" he finally asked, once his musings of Pegasus' imaginary woman lost their appeal. "I'd rather get this over with." Pegasus finally stopped his frantic searching behind Giovanni and looked him in the eyes.  
"I guess you do deserve to know, Gio," was the much too flippant answer he received. Giovanni gave him a hard stare in return.  
"I couldn't help but notice, you see—"  
"Cut to the chase. You talk too much."  
"…This is what I noticed, Gio. Your people skills are atrocious."  
Giovanni shrugged, "I've never cared about getting on someone's good-side."  
"This is coming from the man whose livelihood depends on his popularity?"  
"Since when is popularity the same as kissing up?"  
"That's not what this discussion is about and you're being purposely obtuse."  
"I thought we talked about this. Limit your conversation to words from this century after I've started drinking. You're a hangover by yourself."  
Pegasus sighed. Giovanni obviously was not in the mood for the lesson he so desperately needed and he wasn't going to make it easy on him.  
"I'll put it as bluntly as I can, Gio, since that seems to be your preferred method. If you truly want to be able to move in high society, you need to be able to get along with people. People you don't like, or find boring. And you need to be able to meet other men without trying to glare them into submission."  
This last part of course did nothing to stop the glare currently directed at Pegasus himself.  
"I know you have the capacity to at least pretend, Gio. Because I'm certain you don't like all the girls you pick up as much as you tell them you do."  
This was an obvious fact so Giovanni gave Pegasus no credit for noticing. Giovanni knew that most of the women he picked up were also aware of this fact; if they weren't, they would annoy him. However, Pegasus did have a point that his acting skills were next to non-existent when it came to men. In his circle, he had no need to act. The only role for him was as an alpha. But now Pegasus was telling him that he'd have to pretend to be some kind of weakling like him. It was times like this he thought that he should have just asked for money when Pegasus offered him anything he wanted. But he would never back down after coming this far.  
"What exactly are you planning?"  
"I never thought you'd ask!" The excited tone made its reappearance. Giovanni wanted to strangle it.  
"I met the most interesting man playing cards the other night here and I thought he'd be a good test for you. This is your mission: Get his phone number."  
Giovanni choked on his beer and then stood up, wondering if punching Pegasus would be the correct response. It would involve touching him, after all. He was pushed back down into his seat.  
"You misunderstand, my friend. Exchanging phone numbers is a perfectly normal action which most people engage in with no romantic connotations attached to it. But this is only part of the mission. I only want you get the phone number and to give it to me when you are satisfied that you've learned the lesson."  
"Which would be?"  
Pegasus sighed, "In business, it's always who you know and not what you know, Gio. You never know who could be of help to you later. So you need to learn how to make connections and appreciate people. When you've learned this, get the phone number and then I'll be able to introduce you into polite society."  
"You call it 'polite', but now I'm supposed to be spending my time learning to lie."  
Pegasus ignored him. As if Giovanni had a conscience. More importantly, the target for the lesson had finally arrived. Pegasus had met him during a card game, and had seen him in various places afterwards. The man had reminded him of Giovanni, and truth be told that was the biggest reason for the lesson. Pegasus had an insatiable curiosity when it came to people watching and _interesting _situations were always the most fun to observe. The feeling was almost an addiction for him.  
"That's him, over there," Pegasus pointed to a corner near the front.  
"The red-head broad's squinty boyfriend?"  
"Your powers of observation are at once impressive and insipid," was the dry comment.  
Giovanni shrugged, "Priorities," and stood up to make his way over to the man. Of course he had made note of more than just the woman and how attached she seemed to the man (final analysis: more than a single evening's work), but to inform Pegasus would be playing nice.  
He took a seat near the man and woman, and ordered a drink. He heard the tail end of a conversation between the two.  
"…This is my first night off in a month, so I'm just askin' why you hafta waste it with your friends. I tried to make this night about us, but I can see that you just don't care."  
The woman was upset at the accusation, "Honey, it was only a few minutes!"  
"Just give me some space," he dismissed her with a toss of his head, but caught her for one last kiss before she left to go back to what Giovanni assumed were the previously mentioned friends.  
He heard her say to them, "He's just tired tonight, he's been working hard."  
Now Giovanni was alone with the man. He had never been the type that would just sit down and start chatting; he had to have a purpose. Men had to have something he wanted to talk to them (something that couldn't be physically "persuaded" away) and he didn't even chat up women to pass the time. If he talked to one, it was because he had already had the end result in mind—even if it was just as simple as a heavy make-out session between sets (because sometimes the mood just strikes and patience wasn't his strong suit). In any case, inaction was getting him nowhere and he didn't want to spend all night stuck in a corner with squinty, so he decided to plunge ahead.  
"Women," he said, trying to put as much sympathy as he could fake into his tone. "Can't live with 'em."  
The man nodded in agreement, "Ever tried?"  
Giovanni shook his head.  
"Smart move. Let me give you a piece of advice: Don't."  
So far Giovanni hadn't learned anything he didn't already know, but the guy had a better attitude than he had expected Pegasus' acquaintances to have.  
The man continued, "All they do is screw with you. And that's all they're good for."  
Giovanni just kept drinking and gave a slight nod to show he was listening. They fell silent, which would have suited Giovanni fine except he could feel Pegasus' eyes on his back and knew that he wasn't off the hook yet. So he turned toward the man as if he was interested in looking at his face (tanned, squinty eyes, messy hair) and asked, "I haven't seen you around before. You new to town?"  
He just kept telling himself that as much as it sounded like one to him, it wasn't a pick-up line.  
It wasn't a pick-up line.  
His inner turmoil went unnoticed by the other man.  
"Nah, I just don't get time off often."  
"What do you do?"  
"I'm a med student. I'm doing my residency right now."  
Giovanni grunted something that meant "continue". He didn't know anything about the medical field, except what he had gleaned from a nurse he had a fling with once. What he had learned did not help in this situation.  
"I'm studying to be an OBY/GN."  
This conversation was definitely getting out of hand now. He glanced back at the guy's girlfriend to give his mind something pleasant to dwell on while he thought of a way to steer the conversation back to a normal topic, like drinking or cars or street fights.  
"See something you like?"  
"Her legs. You got a nice lookin' girl," Giovanni was never one to be ashamed.  
The other man shrugged, "If you like that sort of thing."  
He couldn't figure this guy's angle, and it was starting to annoy Giovanni.  
"I like it on her. But I might just more than like. What if I take?" He was ready to just blow the whole thing off.  
The other man shrugged again.  
"You can have her, buddy. One's just as good as another to me. She was getting old, anyway."  
Giovanni gave him a quizzical look, "You're a strange man."  
The man gave a bitter laugh, "No. I'm a sane man."  
Giovanni looked at the light in his eyes and knew why Pegasus had picked this man now, and he hated him for it. But he also knew what he had to do. Giving his best impersonation of someone who cared about others he said, "You must have quite the story."  
And that was all it took to open the flood gates. A sad tale of woe of a man and his one love, who lived in happiness until the day she revealed her true colors and left him. In his case, it was slightly darker. She was his supervisor at the last hospital he worked at, showing him the ropes romantically as well as on the job. He was in heaven for almost a year, but it all came crashing down when he had tried to propose. She had turned him down and he gave her an ultimatum: marriage or nothing. She had laughed at him. Laughed. It had always been nothing.  
"She told me that if I wasn't going to pay for her services any more, then she'd find someone else. And she did. The next day. And then I transferred."  
Giovanni knew he should make a noise to say that he felt sorry for him, but he mostly felt the man was stupid. So he said nothing. The man went on.  
"But, I did learn. All women are heartless and you gotta take all you can before they turn on you," he raised his glass. "Here's to you, Ivy." And he chugged the beer savagely.  
Giovanni gave a curt nod, "I'll drink to the taking."  
The other man put out his hand, "You seem pretty cool. The name's Brock Ueda."  
Ueda, that explained the squinty eyes.  
He touched the man as little as he possibly could.  
"Giovanni."  
That was all he ever gave because that was all anyone ever needed. Brock nodded and didn't inquire any further. Giovanni looked like the kind of man who only went by one name, and he did nothing to ever dispel anyone of that impression.

After that, the conversation once again lulled as Giovanni struggled yet again to find something that didn't sound like a pick-up line in his mind. He mentally nixed, "Tell me more about yourself", "Do you come here often?", and "Was your father a boxer? 'Cuz you're a knock out." The last one was a line that he wouldn't use even if it was woman he was talking to, but it told him how desperately he was struggling. He glanced back again at the red-head to ground himself. He didn't consider it necessary to hide his movements from Brock.  
"Do you want her?"  
Giovanni glanced back at him, but didn't answer. Admitting it would sound desperate, but saying no would mean he'd have to pretend non-interest while Brock was in the room.  
"You can have her. Or we could share, if that's more your style."  
Giovanni was glad he wasn't drinking at that moment, because then he would have choked on his beer for the second time that night. Not from the suggestion itself (though it did come out of the blue) but because he somehow seemed like the kind of man who would go to bed with another man (even if there was a woman between them).  
"I'll ignore that since we just met."  
Pegasus wouldn't be able to say he didn't try his best. And being reminded that he'd have to answer to Pegasus about this whole thing and that it was all his fault brought his bad mood back in full force.  
"Whether you say I can have her or not doesn't really enter into it," he said darkly.  
Brock smiled at him, "I was just joking earlier. You seemed on edge, I thought you could use a laugh."  
Giovanni took a drink at that moment and gripped his bottle with white knuckles. Oh yes, he would kill Pegasus later. Very slowly.  
Brock's tone turned serious, "But really, I think we can help each other out."  
Giovanni made a noncommittal noise.  
"If you want her, I think I can make it worthwhile to the both of us."  
Giovanni still said nothing. If Brock started to say something about "helping" him bed a woman, he'd lay him flat before he could open those squinty eyes of his. If they did open.  
"I said already that she's gotten old, but I don't want to just dump her."  
"Getting her on the rebound is not my idea of being worthwhile."  
"Don't you worry. I have a feeling we're alike. Just trust me," he grinned at him. He motioned for the woman to come back over before Giovanni could clear up whatever mistaken impression Brock had of him trusting anyone.  
The girl came over and he sat her on his lap, "Hey, babe. Meet Giovanni. He's one of _my _friends."  
Giovanni nodded to her and gave her an approving look. He didn't know what Brock was planning, and decided to stay in a more neutral position that he would usually. He didn't want to be roped into yet another situation against his will.  
"I was just thinking," Brock continued on. "That maybe you'd want to be just as nice to my friends as you are to yours."  
The girl looked uncomfortable.  
"It'd make me happy, baby."  
"How do ya want me to be nice?"  
"Giovanni is all alone tonight. It'd be a favor to me if you made him feel nice."  
"B-but, Honey! What about us?"  
Brock looked at her coldly, "This IS about us. If you care more about "us" than your own friends, then you'll do me the favor of getting to know mine."  
She still looked unsure.  
"Listen to me: Go back to the table, put on some fresh lipstick and take a few minutes to think about if you'd still like to be together tomorrow morning. Then come back and tell me your answer."  
She left them and quickly went back to her friends, visibly upset.  
Giovanni asked for Brock's plan with an eyebrow.  
"Play it how you like when she comes back," was the only answer he received.  
She arrived shortly after and only addressed Giovanni, "How about we go to a club?"  
He smiled at her and nodded, "Just wait outside while I pay."  
She smiled at Brock as she left, which didn't go by Giovanni unnoticed.  
Brock said to him, "Do me a favor, will you? Give me a reason to break up with her."  
"You need one?"  
"You are a sharp one. More to the point, give her a reason to feel guilty. That should make things more interesting for you."  
Giovanni gave him a smug look, "I can do more than that." He thought for a moment. "I have a feeling that you'll need me again. We should talk. Give me your number."  
"With pleasure."

And it didn't sound like a pick-up line.


End file.
